Mosley vendetta 'sad for the sport'.

Max Mosley's reign as President of the FIA - Formula 1's governing body - is badly damaging the sport, according to former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart.

The plain-speaking Aussie purchased Minardi from team shareholder Gabriele Rumi back at the beginning of 2001, and ran the Italian minnows until September 2005, when financial constraints forced him to sell it on again to billionaire Red Bull energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, who re-christened it Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Stoddart subsequently bought the CTE-HVM Champ Car team, which he re-named Minardi Team USA for the 2007 campaign. Robert Doornbos achieved the outfit's breakthrough victory at Mont Tremblant en route to third position in the final drivers' standings and the Rookie of the Year laurels.

Stoddart unsuccessfully applied to return to F1 with Minardi in 2008 - making a bid for the twelfth team spot claimed by Prodrive - but he now says he won't be returning to the top flight until his long-time nemesis Mosley finally stands down, something the FIA President has hinted he will do at the end of next year.

"I still love Formula 1," the 52-year-old told German website adrivo.com Motorsport Magazin. "You never know what might happen. If my application had been accepted, I'd be here with my team today.

"Until Max Mosley goes, though, I'm going to have problems with the internal politics and I'm not going to feel comfortable in F1. Only Mosley or God makes the decision about whether he really goes. Unfortunately, it's not up to anyone else.

"Max has done a lot of good things in the FIA and in other areas, but all of this is in danger of being forgotten because of his private vendetta against one man. That's very sad for the sport."